本文論證陳映真小說〈兀自照耀著的太陽〉，是陳映真批判現實主義時期的首篇。這樣一個分期定位對於正確理解這篇小說是具有重要性的，因為我們可以從對憂悒內指的前期作品的閱讀習慣中跳出，以新的視野體會這篇小說的外指的現實主義層次，以及作者所幽微經營出來的一種批判與諷刺況味。在新的閱讀體驗下，主人公之間的關係代表了一種階級之間的關係，而主人公的人性狀態也深深地為他們各自的階級位置所制約。這篇小說開啟了陳映真的一段相當長的批判的現實主義時期，一直到華盛頓大樓系列。

This article argues that Chen Yingzhen's novel ”The Sun Also Shines” is the vanguard piece among his critical realism period writings. This specific periodization is of vital importance to a better understanding of the novel. We could therefore get our understanding out of the habitus obtained from the reading of the preceding period of writings. We could, therefore, elaborate the multi-layers of his critical realism and appreciate a sense of critique and satire implicit in the novel discussed. From this fresh perspective, we discover the previously opaque class dimension of the human nature condition. The novel under discussion opens a long period of Chen's critical realism up to the well known ”Washington Building Series.”